Since the start of the session, that same language has been moved into multiple bills, starting in House Bill 1643, which never passed out of the House. The firearms language was added to House Bill 1284 just last week. Originally, that bill just specified someone can't be sued in civil court if their self-defense was deemed justifiable, perhaps through the lack of charges in a related criminal case.

For years, Second Amendment advocates such as Rep. Ben Smaltz, R-Auburn, and Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, have tried without success to get similar language passed.

Democrats voiced concerns Monday that church owners had to opt out of allowing people to carry firearms, instead of opting in.

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Kystie Phillips shares her personal testimony, in support of House Bill 1284, in front of the Senate judiciary committee at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis, Wednesday, March 20, 2019. In 2017, Phillips shot a man who was in a violent scuffle with a conservation officer in front of her Ohio County home. Though she was protected by Indiana's laws on self-defense or defense of a third person, Phillips was sued by the dead man's family, costing her family a 2-year legal fight and thousands of dollars. (Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

"I can’t believe we’re going to have people sitting in church with firearms expecting to defend the entire church," said Rep. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis.

Lucas referenced the Easter Sunday attacks at churches and hotels throughout Sri Lanka, when introducing his bill on the House floor. The death toll of that attack stood at nearly 300 Monday.

"Churches are a soft target, and they really do need to be protected," Lucas said.

In the past, another hold-up has been the loss of revenue for local police departments from removing the permit fees. According to a fiscal analysis from Legislative Services Agency, the state general fund would lose between $460,000 and $575,000 in fiscal year 2021 due to the change.